Project Description

A specialist move by Purdie Worldwide

Delivering 2 large crates of medical equipment would initially seem an easy job. However, this case study from our recent job for Quotient demonstrates the potential problems and pitfalls that can occur if a job isn’t surveyed properly and there’s a need for Specialist Movers.

Specialist Moving Techniques

Delivering Medical Equipment using Specialist Moving Techniques and a Crane! At Purdie Worldwide we are proud to be recognised as Specialist Movers.

As only a handful of Scottish CMG members are properly certified to undertake a delivery of this scale, we were privileged to have been asked to perform this move on a regular basis.

Client Requirement

Deliver 2x Large pieces of Medical Equipment from the Ground Level onto the Roof Top

Move 2x Large pieces of Medical Equipment from Roof Top through fire escape and into desired position on the second floor.

Survey Issues

The initial thought was to put these large crates into the lifts and transport them up to the second floor.

After measuring the lift space and the crates, it was discovered the crates were too big for the lift by only 50mm in length.

The only other available access is on the roof top. However, upon inspection the roof was found to be particularly fragile and would be damaged if the entire weight of the crates were placed directly on to the roof.

The last issue lies with the movement of the crates from the roof through the fire escape. A vulnerable area was identified at the edge of the roof next to the fire escape where the water drains through some grating. In order to bridge this gap and avoid this potential hazard, Aluminium ramps were placed as a bridge between the roof and fire escape exit to avoid this hazard.

Project Solution

Working alongside Bernard Hunter who supplied the crane and driver we created a 5-layer landing pad to support the crates on the roof.

On the roof top itself a layer of hard board was then laid down to spread the load.

The next layer added to the landing pad was made from Furni-Guard material. This is comprised of a plastic coating, a bubble blanket and then a soft fibre coating to stop any marks.

Above the layer of Furni-Guard a layer of heavy card is then added, followed by a further layer of Furni-Guard. When the Furni Guard is wrapped round the card this creates a cushion effect.

The very last layer to be added to the landing pad is the wooden beams. These are centralised on the landing pad to ensure the crane positions the crates in the correct location.

The landing site is prepared and made safe (including the removal of hand rails). The crates were then lifted from the ground using the crane’s lifting cradle up to the prepared roof top area.

Using skids and man power, the crates are to be lifted into the building via the fire escape.

Once inside the crates will be guided to their final location as per the client’s instructions using skids.